Locker install gear contact reading

[garberz]

Clean the back side surface of the ring gear, and mounting surface of the carrier with a file and check how much run out variance there is. As ken75ranger said, you shouldn't have more than .002" variance. Install it with a little tighter back lash and you may be good to go. I would do all that before changing the pinion depth. Once you start with the pinion depth, you have to keep correcting the pinion bearing preload. It could take hours. I mean hours more than you've already have spent.

Mark

 

[casadejohnson]

Clean the back side surface of the ring gear, and mounting surface of the carrier with a file and check how much run out variance there is. As ken75ranger said, you shouldn't have more than .002" variance. Install it with a little tighter back lash and you may be good to go. I would do all that before changing the pinion depth. Once you start with the pinion depth, you have to keep correcting the pinion bearing preload. It could take hours. I mean hours more than you've already have spent.

Mark

I'm not 100% confident in my backlash measurements or the results I got checking the gear contact with marking compound. I don't believe i was holding the pinion completely stationary. Whats the best way to insure that the pinion does not move when measuring the backlash? On the gear contact pattern, I know that I did not have enough load on gears when I took the patterns. With everything removed from the knuckle out, I can't apply the breaks to create a load.

 

[garberz]

I was able to hold the pinion yoke with my hand as I moved the carrier with the other to read back lash. It took some practice, turn the pinion, to load the R&P, zero out the dial indicator, move ring gear back towards the dial indicator and read the measurement.

For the applying a load to get a marking pattern, I just jammed a stick of wood between the edge of the ring gear and the housing at the bottom. I'm not sure how much drag it was, bit I did have to turn the pinion with a big ratchet to mark the gears.

 

[casadejohnson]

In my case, I used a fiberglass hammer handle and I was still able to turn the pinion by hand. I may put the original carrier back in and measure again beforeI consider changing the pinion.

 

[garberz]

Why don't you put the ARB in, get the back lash set along with some decent carrier bearing preload, then check the pattern. The two different carriers rotate on the same axis, so it should have no effect on the pinion depth. That's why, if your not changing the R&P, just the carrier, you shouldn't need to change the pinion depth or even check the contact pattern. Just reset the back lash to what it was when you took it apart. I know your thinking the contact pattern wasn't right to begin with, but maybe the back lash was a bit loose like ken75ranger said.

 

[casadejohnson]

Why don't you put the ARB in, get the back lash set along with some decent carrier bearing preload, then check the pattern. The two different carriers rotate on the same axis, so it should have no effect on the pinion depth. That's why, if your not changing the R&P, just the carrier, you shouldn't need to change the pinion depth or even check the contact pattern. Just reset the back lash to what it was when you took it apart. I know your thinking the contact pattern wasn't right to begin with, but maybe the back lash was a bit loose like ken75ranger said.

That's probably a wise idea. I obviously have never set up gears before so I'm learning as I go. My thinking was that I might be able to better determine if the Pinion is correct using the carrier that was in there to start with. Thanks for the help.

 

[ken75ranger]

Sorry it took me so long to get back.:-[
I usually hang a pipe wrench off the yoke to hold it still. If your rig is tall you might need an extension pipe.
Just like Mark said- If your backlash is still more than .002 off file it flat. Burrs are pretty common on new carriers.
The pattern you are getting is pretty close to what was there. Since the gears are used you want to match the coast side of the gears more than the drive side. Ideally you want both sides where they were .Pull in the backlash to be on the tight side and you should be good.
For preload I add .005 per side once the pattern and backlash are good.